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HEROIC  DEEDS  OF  HEROIC 
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HEROIC  DEEDS 
OP  HEROIC  MEN: 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 
By  J. S.C.Abbott, 


Harper ' s 
Deo. 1864. 


Library  of 
The  University  of  North  Carolina 


COLLECTION  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINIANA 


ENDOWED  BY 

JOHN  SPRUNT  HILL 

of  the  Class  of  1889 


Cp3~?o.7S-_ai3^   0<aj 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 


HEROIC  DEEDS  OF  HEROIC  MEN. 


BV  JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT. 


AMBROSE  E.    BPRNSIDE. 


ri 

to 


I.— A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 

Putting  to  Sea. — Entering  the  Inlet — Conquest  of  Roa- 
noke Island. —The  Slaves— Destruction  of  the  Rebel 
Fleet. — Extending   the   Conquest. — Expedition  to  the 

Neuse Decisive  Battle.— Anecdotes. — Capture  of  New- 

bern. — Secret  Expedition. — Bivouac — Battle  of  Kii;gc- 
ton. — Daily  Marchings.— Battle  at  Whitehall. — Heroism 
of  Butler. —Successful  Raid — Battle  of  Goldsborough.— 
Success  of  the  Expedition.— The  Return. 

^N  the  11th  of  January,  1862,  a  vast  fleet  of 
gun-boats  and  transports  was  assembled  at 
Hampton  Roads,  Old  Point  Comfort,  for  a  se- 
cret expedition.  Spectators  on  the  shore  counted 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  boats  of  all  sizes 
and  patterns.  There  were  formidable  vessels 
of  war,  powerfully  armed  and  nobly  manned. 
There  were  ferry-boats  extemporized  into  gun- 
boats, and  peaceful  merchantmen  frowning  with 


artillery.  There  was  one  queer  stern -wheeled 
craft,  which  went  puffing  about  among  the  fleet, 
attracting  much  attention.  It  had  come  from 
the  shoal  waters  of  the  Kennebec  River.  The 
sailors  called  it  "the  wheel-barrow."  Its  draught 
was  so  light  that  they  insisted  it  could  run  wher- 
ever there  was  a  heavy  dew.  Sixteen  thousand 
men — infantry,  artillery,  and  cavalry — were  em- 
barked in  this  fleet,  under  the  chieftainship  of 
General  Burnside.  The  troops  were  divided 
into  three  brigades,  under  Generals  Foster,  Reno, 
and  Parke ;  all  experienced  officers  of  the  regu- 
lar army.  Commodore  Goldsborough,  a  veteran 
of  fifty  years'  service,  commanded  the  fleet- 
It  was  a  bright,  mild  winter's  day.  Just  after 
the  sun  had  gone  down  and  the  stars  had  come- 
out,  those  on  the  shore  observed  an  unusual  com- 
motion in  the  fleet.    Lights  were  flashing  and  tug- 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


LOUIS  M.    GOLBSBOEOTJGH. 


boats  moving  rapidly  in  all  directions,  and  it 
was  evident  that  every  ship  was  getting  up  its 
steam.  Just  at  midnight  some  signal  rockets 
pierced  the  sky  from  the  flag-ship,  and  almost 
instantly  every  paddle-wheel  was  in  motion, 
and  the  majestic  squadron  swept  down  the  bay. 
It  was  a  brilliant  night,  serene,  cloudless ;  with 
the  moon  near  the  full.  It  was  very  manifest  to 
all  on  board  that  hard  work  was  to  be  done  by 
both  fleet  and  army ;  but  when,  where,  how, 
none  but  a  few  of  the  highest  officers  could  tell, 
and  they  were  silent.  At  noon  the  next  day, 
Sunday,  January  12,  the  fleet  was  entirely  out 
of  sight  of  land,  enveloped  in  fog,  steaming  rap- 
idly down  the  southern  coast. 

At  length  the  fog  lifted,  and  the  leading  ships 
caught  sight  of  the  shores  of  Hatteras,  and,  fol- 
lowed by  the  whole  squadron,  turned  toward  the 
Inlet.  It  was  a  gorgeous  afternoon  of  autumnal 
beauty.     The  scene  was  magnificent.      Thou- 


sands of  men  were  clustered  on  the  decks  and  in 
the  rigging  of  the  ships,  gazing  with  admiration 
upon  the  golden  sunset,  and  the  forest-crowned 
shore  fringed  with  its  long  line  of  snow-white 
beach,  upon  which  the  billows  of  the  wide  At- 
lantic dashed  almost  mast-head  high,  and  with 
thunder  roar. 

It  was  too  late  to  enter  the  Inlet.  The  next 
morning  was  cold  and  wintry.  Clouds  were 
gathering ;  the  ocean  looked  black ;  and  angry 
billows  with  foaming  crests  pursued  each  other. 
It  was  difficult  to  cross  the  bar  in  a  storm,  as 
smooth  water  was  very  necessary  for  the  passage. 
Yet  it  was  not  safe  for  a  fleet  to  attempt  to  ride 
out  a  Hatteras  gale  on  that  open  sea.  About 
seventy  of  the  ships  succeeded  in  safely  getting 
within  the  Inlet.  One  of  the  transports,  laden 
with  horses,  struck  the  bar,  plunging  her  keel 
into  the  sand,  and  remained  immovable.  The 
waves  dashed  over  the  ship,  hurling  the  horses 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 


into  the  sea,  where  they  all  perished.  The  sea- 
men lashed  themselves  to  the  rigging,  and  there, 
without  food  or  sleep,  and  drenched  to  the  skin, 
remained  for  forty-eight  hours  until  the  storm 
abated.  Every  endeavor  which  was  made  to  send 
them  assistance  was  fruitless.  Two  heroic  men, 
Colonel  Allen  and  Dr.  Wellar,  perished  in  the 
attempt.  During  the  continuance  of  the  gale 
nearly  every  vessel  was  injured,  both  those  with- 
in and  those  without  the  Inlet.  Many  were  bad- 
ly shattered,  and  four  entirely  wrecked ;  the  crews 
generally  escaping. 

A  calm  succeeded  this  fearful  storm ;  yet  it 
was  two  weeks  before  the  fleet,  crippled  and  dis- 


persed, was  collected  and  refitted  at  a  safe  an- 
chorage in  Pamlico  Sound. 

A  comparatively  small  strait  separates  the  two 
majestic  Sounds  called  Pamlico  and  Albemarle. 
In  the  centre  of  this  strait  you  find  Roanoke  Isl- 
and, twelve  miles  long  and  three  broad.  As 
the  channel  on  either  side  is  narrow  and  tortu- 
ous, the  island  effectually  commands  the  passage 
between  the  two  Sounds.  Here  the  rebels  were 
in  force  with  batteries,  intrenchments,  and  gun- 
boats. Wednesday  morning,  the  6th  of  Febru- 
ary, dawned  cold,  and  wet,  and  gloomy.  Grop- 
ing through  the  fog  our  fleet  approached  the  isl- 
and, and,  anchoring  for  the  night,  prepared  for 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


a  conflict  in  the  morning.  The  morning  came. 
As  the  clouds  broke,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun 
struggling  through  the  rifts  gave  promise  of  a 
brilliant  day,  Nelson's  famous  order  was  run  to 
the  mast-head  of  the  flag-ship,  "America  ex- 
pects every  man  to  do  his  duty!" 

The  gun-boats  immediately  commenced  throw- 
ing 9-inch  shot  and  shell  into  the  woods  near 
the  beach.  Under  protection  of  this  fire  a 
large  number  of  troops  were  landed.  The  in- 
trenchments  were  bombarded,  the  batteries  were 
stormed,  and  the  patriot  troops  swept  the  island 
from  south  to  north  in  uninterrupted  victory.  Be- 
fore five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  8th  Roa- 


noke Island  was  rescued  from  the  hands  of  trai- 
tors, and  the  star-spangled  banner  floated  over  all 
its  captured  ramparts.  General  Foster  led  the 
men  in  their  impetuous  attacks  upon  the  redoubts, 
and  inspired  them  with  his  own  enthusiasm  and 
intrepidity.  The  gallant  Colonel  Russell,  of  the 
Connecticut  Tenth — a  man  who  knew  not  the 
sense  of  fear  —  was  struck  by  a  bullet  which 
pierced  his  heart,  and  he  fell  dead  without  a 
groan.  As  the  men  were  assailing  one  of  the 
most  formidable  redoubts  their  ammunition  failed 
them.  Just  then  Major  Kimball  of  the  Haw- 
kins's Zouaves  came  up,  and  offered  to  charge 
the  redoubt.      "You  are  the  very  man,"  said 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 


EOANOKE   ISLAND,  NEWBEBN,  AND  THE   SOUNDS. 


General  Foster,  ' '  and  this  is  the  very  moment. 
Zouaves,  storm  the  battery  !"  There  was  an  in- 
stantaneous rush,  and  with  their  ringing  battle- 
cry,  Zou,  Zou,  Zou !  they  ran  across  the  inter- 
vening space,  clambered  the  ramparts,  and  burst 
through  the  embrasures.  The  rebels  fled  in  the 
utmost  panic,  not  even  stopping  to  spike  their 
guns  or  to  carry  off  their  wounded. 

General  John  G.  Foster,  with  his  brigade,  fol- 
lowed in  the  track  of  the  Zouaves  and  pursued 
the  retreating  rebels  at  the  double  quick.  For 
nearly  six  miles  the  exciting  chase  was  contin- 
ued. General  Reno  took  another  path  to  cut 
off  the  rebel  retreat,  and  on  the  way  came  across 


a  body  of  eight  hundred  of  the  foe  who  were 
compelled  to  throw  down  their  arms.  The  reb- 
els were  now  thoroughly  vanquished.  A  flag 
of  truce  was  sent  to  General  Foster,  asking  what 
terms  of  capitulation  he  would  accept.  "Un- 
conditional surrender, "  was  the  reply.  It  was 
impossible  to  dispute  the  terms,  and  before  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
were  floating  over  every  battery  on  the  island. 
Six  forts,  two  thousand  five  hundred  prisoners, 
forty-two  heavy  guns,  with  a  large  quantity  of 
smaller  arms  and  ammunition,  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  victors.  The  patriots  lost  but  forty  killed 
and  two  hundred  wounded.     Among  the  pris- 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


JOHN  G.   FOSTER. 


oners  taken  there  were  about  two  hundred 
slaves,  all  men  in  the  prime  of  life,  whom  the 
rebels  had  brought  upon  the  island  to  work 
upon  the  intrenchments.  As  the  white  prison- 
ers were  paroled,  these  slaves  were  called  to- 
gether and  informed  that  they  might  remain 
upon  the  island  as  freemen,  or  return  with  their 
masters  to  the  main  land.  Nearly  every  man 
chose  to  return  with  his  master.  This  extraor- 
dinary decision  led  some  one  to  exclaim  in  be- 
wilderment, "What  does  this  mean?  We 
thought  you  all  wanted  to  be  free."  An  hon- 
est, earnest  black  man  stepped  forward,  and, 
taking  off  his  hat,  said, 

"We'se  wives  and  chillern  in  slavery.  We 
can't  leave  them.  Bress  de  Lord,  de  day  ob 
jubilee  is  come.  We'se  all  to  be  free  now. 
We  must  go  back  and  get  our  wives  and  chil- 
lern." 

No  comment  can  add  to  the  pathos  of  this 
incident. 

The  next  day  was  the  Sabbath.  The  rebel 
gun-boats  had  escaped  up  the  Sound  to  Eliza- 
beth City.  The  patriot  gun -boats  pursued 
them ;  with  full  head  of  steam  they  rushed  by 
the  fort,  under  whose  guns  the  rebel  boats  had 


sought  protection,  and  in  a  conflict  of  fifteen 
minutes  destroyed  the  whole  rebel  fleet,  killing 
or  capturing  nearly  every  man  of  the  crew. 
From  all  the  region  around  the  slaves  flocked 
by  hundreds  to  the  national  boats,  entreating  to 
be  taken  "to  de  Norf."  This  was  impossible. 
Their  grief  was  touching  as  they  saw  their 
hopes  blighted,  and  that  the  long-prayed-for 
hour  of  deliverance  had  not  yet  come. 

After  a  few  unimportant  excursions  in  this 
vicinity,  every  where  indignantly  striking  down 
the  flag  of  treason,  General  Burnside  reassembled 
his  fleet  at  Hatteras  Inlet  for  a  more  important 
movement  than  he  had  yet  attempted. 

On  the  night  of  the  12th  of  March  the  fleet 
was  again  in  motion.  They  steamed  down 
Pamlico  Sound  about  fifty  miles,  and  entering 
the  spacious  River  Neuse,  anchored  upon  its 
western  bank  within  about  sixteen  miles  of  the 
city  of  Newbern.  This  city,  of  about  five  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  State, 
is  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Neuse  and 
Trent.  It  is  important  as  a  military  post,  being 
connected  with  Goldsborough  and  Raleigh  on 
the  west,  and  Beaufort  on  the  south.  The 
rebels  had  strongly  fortified  it,  employing  thou- 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 


sands  of  slaves  in  throwing  up  intrenchments. 
A  line  of  water-batteries,  with  heavy  guns,  from 
every  commanding  point  swept  the  river.  Six 
miles  from  the  city  there  was  a  long  line  of 
earth-works  extending  from  the  river  to  the 
swamps  and  tangled  woods,  effectually  barring 
approach  to  any  ordinary  force  or  courage. 
From  that  point  to  the  city  the  whole  expanse 
was  filled  with  redoubts,  batteries,  rifle-pits, 
treacherous  torpedoes,  and  all  the  other  appli- 
ances of  honorable  and  dishonorable  war. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  March  13  the  patriot 
troops,  five  thousand  in  number,  landed  at  Slo- 
cum's  Creek,  about  a  dozen  miles  below  New- 


bern.  The  water  was  shallow.  The  overladen 
boats  sank  deep  and  could  not  approach  near 
the  shore.  The  landing  seemed  much  like  a 
frolic.  With  jokes  and  shouts  and  peals  of 
laughter  the  men  leaped  overboard,  up  to  the 
middle  in  water,  and  waded  to  the  shore.  Their 
path  up  toward  Newbern  led  over  an  extended 
plain,  marshy  from  recent  rains,  and  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  gloomy  pines,  draped 
with  hoary  Spanish  moss.  The  heavy  gun- 
carriages  sank  deep  in  the  mire,  and  a  cold 
March  wind  swept  over  the  drenched  and  shiv- 
ering ranks,  subduing  the  mirth  of  the  most 
buoyant. 


10 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


The  Massachusetts  Twenty-fourth  led  the 
march.  The  Connecticut  Eleventh  brought  up 
the  rear.  The  line  of  march  in  compact  mass 
filled  the  forest  road  for  two  and  a  half  miles. 
The  gun-boats  followed  cautiously  along  the 
channel  of  the  stream,  throwing  shells  into  the 
woods  in  advance  of  the  head  of  our  column. 
Night  came  dismal  with  clouds,  darkness,  mud, 
and  rain.  The  wearied  soldiers  threw  them- 
selves upon  the  sodden  leaves  of  the  flooded 
plain  for  their  cheerless  bivouac.  On  Friday 
morning,  the  14th  of  March,  the  patriot  troops 
were  again  early  in  motion,  and  soon  approached 
the  long  line  of  earth-works  running  from  the 
river  to  the  swamp,  strongly  protected  by  rifle- 


pits  and  batteries  on  either  flank.  The  woods 
in  front  of  the  intrenchments  had  been  felled 
for  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  that  the 
assailants  might  be  exposed  to  an  unerring  fire. 
Behind  these  intrenchments  the  rebels  were 
comparatively  safe.  Neither  bullet  nor  ball 
could  easily  harm  them.  It  would  seem  mad- 
ness to  an  ordinary  observer  to  send  men  with 
bare  bosoms  to  face  the  line  of  fire  bursting 
from  those  breast-works.  But  our  heroic  troops 
accomplished  the  apparent  impossibility.  Form- 
ing in  line  of  battle  in  the  edge  of  the  woods,  a 
mile  in  extent,  they  opened  a  vigorous  fire  of 
musketry  and  artillery  which  they  must  have 
been  conscious  could  accomplish  little,  save  to 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 


11 


distract  attention  by  making  a  noise.  Nearly 
every  ball  and  bullet  went  plump  and  harmless 
into  the  breast-Avork  of  earth  rising  six  feet  high 
before  them. 

At  length  when  the  field  of  battle  was  covered 
with  smoke,  and  the  frenzy  of  conflict  inflamed 
all  minds,  Colonel  Clark,  at  the  head  of  the 
Massachusetts  Twenty-first,  rushed  across  the 
open  plain,  through  the  deadly  storm  of  lead, 
and  entering  on  the  full  run  one  of  the  em- 
brasures seized  the  gun.  The  rebels  fled,  as- 
tonished at  such  audacity.  Instantly  two  rebel 
regiments  came  charging  upon  them,  and  the 
heroic   little   band   were  compelled   to   retire. 


But  the  next  moment  Colonel  Rodman,  with 
the  Fourth  Rhode  Island,  charged  upon  a  bat- 
tery of  five  guns.  At  the  double  quick  they  ran 
upon  these  death-dealing  muzzles,  pouring  in  a 
volley  of  bullets  as  they  ran.  The  desperate  ad- 
venture was  a  success.  They  seized  the  guns, 
and  with  the  precision  of  veterans  in  compact 
mass,  with  bristling  bayonets,  bore  down  along 
the  rebel  line  within  the  intrenchments.  The 
Eighth  and  Eleventh  Connecticut,  and  Fifth 
Rhode  Island  rushed  instantly  to  their  support. 
The  rebels  fled  precipitately,  and  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  were  proudly  unfurled  over  one  portion 
of  their  ramparts. 


12 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


Animated  by  this  sight  the  patriot  troops, 
who  were  struggling  through  the  tangled  morass 
at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  enemy's  line, 
made  a  grand  charge  upon  that  flank.  Aided 
as  they  were  by  their  comrades,  who  were  al- 
ready within  the  ramparts,  they  speedily  smote 
down  all  opposition,  and  the  rebels  tumultuous- 
ly  fled.  With  exultation  and  rapture,  which 
none  can  comprehend  but  those  who  have 
passed  through  such  scenes,  the  patriot  troops 
clambered  the  ramparts,  discharging  their  mus- 
kets at  the  retiring  foe,  disappearing  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  greeting  the  glorious  old  banner  of 
the  Union  with  enthusiastic  huzzas.  It  was  a 
splendid  victory.  Every  regiment  behaved  hero- 
ically. The  Fifty-first  New  York  attracted  es- 
pecial applause.  There  is  not  a  man  of  that 
regiment  who  will  not  look  back  with  pride 
upon  the  battle  of  Newbern  so  long  as  he  shall 
live.  The  rebel  army  was  disorganized  and 
panic-stricken.  It  was  important  that  they 
should  have  no  time  to  recover  from  their  con- 
sternation. 

There  are  many  interesting  incidents  of  this 
battle  worthy  of  record.  Lieutenant  Fearing, 
of  General  Burnside's  staff,  was  sitting  upon 
his  horse  when  a  32-pound  shot  passed  under 
the  horse's  belly  between  his  legs.  The  Lieu- 
tenant, apparently  unconscious  of  his  own  dan- 
ger, fondly  patted  his  horse  in  commendation 
of  the  animal's  quiet  bravery. 

When  the  first  battery  was  captured  Colonel 
Clark,  of  the  Twenty-first  Massachusetts,  had 
mounted  one  of  the  rebel  guns,  and  was  waving 
his  colors,  when  two  rebel  regiments  advanced 
upon  him  and  his  handful  of  men.  The  patri- 
ots leaped  the  parapet  and  fled.  Captain  J. 
D.  Frazer,  who  had  been  wounded  in  his  right 
arm,  carrying  his  sword  in  his  left  hand,  tum- 
bled and  fell  into  the  ditch.  He  was  seized 
and  dragged  back  by  the  rebels  over  the  para- 
pet. A  guard  of  three  men  was  placed  over 
him.  A  few  moments  after,  when  the  Fourth 
Rhode  Island  made  a  charge,  he  drew  a  con- 
cealed revolver  and  captured  all  three  of  his 
guards. 

One  of  the  noblest  young  men  of  our  nation 
— a  hero,  a  patriot,  and  a  Christian,  Adjutant 
Frazer  A.  Stearns,  son  of  President  Stearns,  of 
Amhert  (Massachusetts)  College — fell  in  this 
battle.  Young  Stearns  had  already  borne  him- 
self bravely  at  Roanoke  Island.  Here,  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fight,  a  bullet  pierced  his  breast, 
and  he  dropped  dead. 

General  Burnside,  aware  of  the  value  of  time, 
scarcely  remained  upon  the  battle-field  long 
enough  to  bury  the  dead.  The  whole  army  was 
immediately  put  in  motion  for  Newbern,  which 
was  about  six  miles  distant.  The  gun-boats 
continued  to  follow  along  the  river,  capturing 
the  water-batteries  with  scarcely  a  shadow  of 
opposition.  Early  in  the  afternoon  the  troops 
reached  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Trent  opposite 
the  city.  The  magnificent  bridge,, seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  in  length,  constructed  both 
for  railroad  and  carriages,  across  which  the  reb- 


els had  retreated,  was  in  flames.  A  number 
of  turpentine  factories  also  were  rolling  up  their 
billows  of  fire  and  smoke,  which  enfolded  the 
city  in  a  black  canopy  sublimely  gloomy.  Sev- 
eral transports  had  followed  the  gun-boats  up 
the  stream,  and  in  a  few  hours  our  whole  army 
of  five  thousand  men  were  ferried  across  the 
Trent,  and  were  in  undisputed  possession  of 
Newbern.  The  fires  were  extinguished,  a  strong 
provost-guard  established,  every  liquor  cask  in 
the  city  staved,  and  by  midnight  quietude  and 
peace  reigned  throughout  the  conquered  city. 

The  fruits  of  this  victory  were  six  forts,  thir- 
ty-four heavy  guns,  six  steamboats,  and  public 
property  to  the  amount  of  two  millions  of  dol- 
lars. The  rebel  troops  at  the  battle-ground 
were  almost  entirely  protected  by  their  ram- 
parts, and  our  bullets  did  them  little  harm ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  they  did  not  dare  to  ex- 
pose themselves  by  taking  aim,  but  loading  un- 
der cover  raised  their  guns  over  their  heads  and 
fired  almost  at  random,  thus  throwing  many  of 
their  bullets  away. 

As  the  rebels  were  retreating  the  slaves  along 
the  route,  who  had  been  taught  to  believe  their 
masters  omnipotent,  could  hardly  credit  their 
senses,  and  were  quite  unable  to  repress  their 
joy  and  exultation.  As  one  of  the  slave-hold- 
ing rebels,  breathless  with  terror,  spurred  his 
horse  by  his  own  door,  not  venturing  to  stop,  an 
aged  slave  stood  by  the  side  of  his  cabin  gazing 
in  unutterable  astonishment  upon  the  flight  and 
fright  of  his  master.  Just  as  he  disappeared  in 
the  woods  a  shell  from  one  of  the  gun-boats, 
with  its  unearthly  scream,  careering  high  above 
the  tree-tops,  followed  the  path  of  the  fugitive. 
The  gray-headed  old  man,  clapping  his  hands, 
rushed  into  his  cabin  shouting, 

"Wife,  wife,  massais  running,  and  the  wrath 
of  God  is  after  him  !" 

The  next  day  was  the  Sabbath.  By  order  of 
General  Burnside  all  the  churches  were  thrown 
open,  the  army  chaplains  officiated,  and  thanks 
were  returned  to  God  for  the  signal  victory  he 
had  granted  the  patriot  arms. 

Several  months  passed  away,  during  which 
the  Union  troops  fortified  themselves  at  New- 
bern, and  extended  their  conquest  to  several  im- 
portant places  in  the  vicinity.  On  Tuesday,  the 
9th  of  December,  1862,  a  division  of  the  little 
army  received  orders  to  put  three  days'  rations 
in  their  haversacks,  and  prepare  for  an  immedi- 
ate march;  but  where  they  were  not  informed; 
neither  was  it  supposed  to  be  any  of  their  busi- 
ness to  inquire.  Blind,  unquestioning  obedi- 
ence is  the  law  of  the  army.  The  rising  of 
the  sun  on  Thursday,  the  11th,  found  these 
troops  vigorously  on  the  move  from  Newbern 
directly  west,  toward  Goldsborough,  along  what 
is  called  the  Trent  Road — a  road  running  a  few 
miles  west  of  the  River  Trent,  and  almost  paral- 
lel with  it.  The  force  consisted  of  four  bri- 
gades, composed  of  nineteen  regiments.  The 
line  of  march  was  formed  by  two  hundred  cav- 
alry in  advance ;  then  followed  the  several  regi- 
ments of  cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery,  while 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 


13 


the  rear  was  composed  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
baggage  wagons.  The  entire  line,  in  easy  march- 
ing order,  extended  about  five  miles,  filling  the 
whole  road. 

It  was  a  splendid  wintry  morning,  mild  and 
serene.  As  the  vast  array  was  beheld  from  an 
eminence  moving  along  the  winding  road,  with 
the  fluttering  of  innumerable  banners,  and  the 
gleam  of  burnished  arms,  the  sight  inspired  the 
most  phlegmatic  with  enthusiasm.  The  army 
numbered  in  all  thirteen  hundred  infantry,  elev- 
en hundred  cavalry,  with  fifty-one  pieces  of 
artillery.  The  troops  that  day  marched  eight- 
een miles  over  a  heavy,  sandy  road,  with  occa- 


sional sloughs  to  wade,  and,  as  night  approached, 
they  prepared  for  their  encampment  in  a  large 
plain  of  about  three  hundred  acres,  which  they 
found  opened  in  the  forest. 

As  the  twilight  faded  away  hundreds  of  camp- 
fires,  brilliant  with  the  blaze  of  the  resinous 
pine,  lighted  up  the  scene  with  wondrous  beau- 
ty. The  soldiers  drank  their  hot  coffee  frcm 
their  tin  cups,  ate  their  frugal  supper  of  hard 
bread,  and  the  camp  resounded  with  jokes  and 
laughter  as  most  of  them  threw  themselves 
down  for  a  shelterless  bivouac,  with  the  sand 
for  a  mattress,  and  a  knapsack  for  a  pillow. 
Wearied  with  the  long  day's  march  the  reign  of 


u 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


silence  soon  commenced.  Many  of  the  officers 
were  provided  with  rubber  blankets,  which  they 
spread  upon  the  ground.  Over  that  a  woolen 
blanket  was  spread.  And  then,  tbree  cuddling 
together,  with  their  feet  to  the  fire,  and  with 
their  united  three  blankets  and  three  over-coats 
spread  over  them,  enjoyed  more  luxurious  slum- 
ber than  is  usually  found  in  ceiled  chambers  and 
on  beds  of  down. 

At  five  o'clock  the  next  morning,  Friday,  tbe 
12th,  the  drum-beat — the  reveille — roused  all 
from  their  slumbers.  It  was  a  bitter  cold  win- 
ter's morning — so  cold  that  the  water  in  the  can- 
teens of  the  soldiers  was  found  frozen.  The 
icy  ground  seemed  solid  as  a  rock.  The  fires, 
from  piles  of  pitch-pine,  were  immediately 
brightly  blazing,  the  ever-welcome  coffee  was 
boiling,  and  after  their  breakfast  of  hard  bread 
the  soldiers  were  again  upon  the  move.  March- 
ing rapidly  along  a  level  country  covered  with 
pine  forests,  and  where  few  dwellings  were  found, 
ut  noon  they  reached  a  road  turning  nearly  at 
right  angles  to  the  north.  This  road  led  direct- 
ly to  Kingston,  one  of  the  most  important  towns 
in  North  Carolina,  situated  on  the  northern 
bank  of  the  Neuse,  about  forty  miles  above 
Newbern.  The  soldiers  by  this  time  had  sup- 
posed that  Kingston  was  their  destination.  But 
much  to  their  surprise,  they  found  that  they 
were  not  guided  upon  that  road,  but  leaving  it 
on  the  right,  pressed  directly  forward  in  a  west- 
erly course.  The  soldiers  subsequently  ascer- 
tained, that  which  the  officers  already  knew, 
that  half-way  between  this  crossing  and  the 
town  of  Kingston  there  was  a  stream  called 
Southwest  Creek,  where  the  rebels,  in  anticipa- 
tion of  an  attack,  had  erected  formidable  in- 
trenchments. 

General  Foster,  one  of  our  most  bold  and 
efficient  officers,  sagaciously  sent  forward  a  small 
force  of  cavalry  to  deceive  the  rebels  by  the  feint 
of  an  attack  upon  their  elaborate  works  at  the 
creek.  At  the  same  time  the  main  body  pressed 
vigorously  forward  on  the  road  toward  Golds- 
borough,  and  with  the  setting  sun  sought  their 
second  night's  bivouac,  having  effected  a  march 
of  nearly  twenty  miles.  The  wearied  soldiers, 
after  a  hurried  meal,  again  threw  themselves 
on  the  frozen  ground  and  slept  soundly.  Scarce- 
ly had  the  morning  dawned  ere  the  beat  of  the 
drum  aroused  the  slumbering  host.  They  re- 
plenished their  waning  fires,  in  haste  prepared 
their  breakfast  of  fragrant  coffee  with  hard  bread, 
and  at  six  o'clock  the  tramp  of  armed  men  and 
the  rumbling  of  carriage-wheels  again  resounded 
through  the  solitudes  of  the  forest.  All  day 
long  they  continued  their  march,  until  about  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon,  when,  having  passed 
several  miles  beyond  Kingston,  they  came  to 
another  cross-road,  which  at  a  very  sharp  angle 
led  back,  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  toward 
that  city. 

The  head  of  the  long  column  turned  sharply 
round  and  entered  this  road.  By  it  they  could 
cross  tbe  Southwest  Creek  at  a  point  farther  up 
the  stream  by  a  bridge  which  was  feebly  defend- 


ed. The  rebels,  however,  fearing  this  move- 
ment, and  yet  not  daring  to  vacate  their  in- 
trenchments  on  the  main  road,  had  sent  forward 
a  small  force  and  burned  the  bridge.  They  had 
also  placed  two  12-pounders  on  an  eminence 
on  the  north  side  of  the  creek,  to  prevent  the 
reconstruction  of  the  bridge  or  the  floating  of 
pontoons.  Here  the  Union  troops  were  brought 
to  a  stand.  While  the  advance  of  the  column 
waited  for  the  artillery  and  the  wagons  to  come 
up,  pioneers  were  sent  forward,  under  strong 
protection  of  artillery  and  musketry,  to  attempt 
to  rebuild  the  bridge. 

The  creek  was  here  but  a  few  rods  wide, 
with  somewhat  precipitous  and  densely-wooded 
shores.  The  road  from  that  point  to  Kingston, 
a  distance  of  about  fourteen  miles,  ran  all  the 
way  through  an  almost  unbroken  forest.  A  few 
pieces  of  Union  artillery  were  sent  ahead,  to 
engage  the  attention  of  the  rebel  battery,  while 
the  Ninth  New  Jersey  regiment  secretly  forded 
the  stream  above  and  below*- and  rushed  upon 
the  hostile  cannon  from  either  flank  so  impetu- 
ously and  unexpectedly  that  guns,  horses,  and 
men  were  all  taken,  almost  before  there  was  any 
consciousness  of  danger. 

It  was  Saturday  night — the  third  day  of  the 
expedition.  Again  the  troops  bivouacked  in  the 
open  air,  but  all  night  long  working  parties  of 
engineers  and  pioneers  were  busy  rebuilding  the 
bridge.  Before  the  dawn  of  Sunday  it  was  com- 
pleted, and  at  five  o'clock  the  troops  were  again 
upon  the  march.  As  before,  a  body  of  cavalry 
led  the  advance  along  the  narrow  road,  with 
pine  forests  on  either  side.  They  frequently 
encountered  the  pickets  of  the  enemy,  and  in 
slight  skirmishes  easily  dispersed  them.  The 
cavalry  was  followed  by  a  strong  body  of  artil- 
lery, who  shelled  the  woods  wherever  there  was 
any  suspicion  that  the  foe  might  be  lurking. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  line  of  the 
army,  filling  the  whole  capacity  of  the  road,  oc- 
cupied an  extent  of  about  five  miles.  At  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning  those  in  the  rear  of  this 
long  column  heard  the  roar  of  artillery  among 
the  advance,  shot  answering  shot.  It  announced 
that  the  enemy  had  been  found,  and  it  sent  an 
electric  thrill  through  the  eager  host.  Every 
man  pressed  forward.  The  whole  army  soon 
found  themselves  in  a  clearing  of  the  woods  of 
about  twenty  acres,  on  the  right-hand  side  of 
the  road.  There  was  here  opportunity  for  the 
army  to  deploy  and  make  ready  for  action.  The 
enemy  were  so  effectually  concealed  in  the  woods 
that  not  a  man  could  be  seen ;  and  their  bat- 
teries, commandingly  posted  under  the  protec- 
tion of  an  apparently  impassable  swamp,  were 
constantly  pitching  their  shells  over  the  tree- 
tops  into  the  midst  of  our  advancing  troops. 
Six  Parrot  guns  were  brought  forward  by  the 
patriots  and  placed  in  position  to  .return  the 
fire.  It  was  a  blind  battle  of  invisible  foes;  but 
the  two  hostile  parties  had  discovered  each  oth- 
er's position,  and  bloody  scenes  were  "at  hand. 

The  Ninety-second  and  Ninety-sixth  New 
York  regiments  filed  into  the  woods  on  the  left 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTUEE. 


15 


of  the  road,  to  charge  the  rebel  batteries  on  their 
right  flank.  The  Ninth  New  York  plunged  into 
the  woods  on  the  right  of  the  road,  to  advance 
upon  the  batteries  under  shelter  of  the  thicket 
between  the  road  and  the  swamp.  The  Forty- 
fifth  Massachusetts  rushed  boldly  into  the  swamp 
itself,  and  toiling  onward  through  a  tangled  net- 
work of  roots  and  stumps,  and  up  to  their  knees 
in  mire,  sought  to  traverse  it,  that  they  might 
attack  the  batteries  on  their  left  flank.  The 
swamp  was  densely  covered  with  huge  old  trees, 
whose  gnarled  roots  were  twisted  in  all  possible 
contortions  beneath  the  ooze  and  slime  of  the 
bog.  But  a  few  moments  elapsed  before  the 
whole  forest  was  alive  with  the  rattle  of  mus- 


ketry, for  the  heads  of  each  of  these  divisions 
had  met  the  foe.  Our  troops,  keeping  up  a 
constant  fire,  steadily  advanced,  driving  the  reb- 
els before  them — who  were  fighting,  Indian- 
fashion,  behind  stumps  and  trees. 

At  length  the  Forty-fifth  Massachusetts,  who 
had  penetrated  the  swamp,  forced  their  way 
through  it,  and  ascended  a  little  knoll  beyond 
covered  with  shrub  oaks.  But  they  had  hardly 
formed  in  line  before  a  shower  of  bullets  came 
rattling  in  among  them,  a  rebel  battery  having 
got  their  precise  range.  The  Tenth  Connecti- 
cut and  One  Hundred  and  Third  Pennsylvania 
came  up  at  the  same  moment,  having  followed 
through  the  swamp.     The  rebel  guns  opened 


16 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


upon  their  left  flank,  raking  their  position.  The 
fire  of  these  guns  was  so  concentrated  and  pow- 
erful that  it  cut  a  perfect  path,  two  rods  wide, 
for  some  distance  through  the  forest.  No  flesh 
and  blood  could  stand  such  a  storm.  The  Union 
troops  threw  themselves  on  their  faces  and 
hugged  the  ground  as  their  only  protection. 
They  could  not  move  in  any  direction  without 
the  utmost  peril. 

While  in  this  terrible  situation  they  heard  the 
well-known  cheer  of  their  comrades  announcing 
triumph  on  the  left.  The  Ninety-sixth  and 
Ninety-second  New  York  had  come  up,  flanked 
and  successfully  charged  the  rebel  battery.  At 
that  shout  the  Tenth  Connecticut,  Forty-fifth 
Massachusetts,  and  One  Hundred  and  Third 
Pennsylvania  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  rushed 
to  join  their  comrades  in  the  charge.  The  reb- 
els waited  not  for  the  impetuous  onslaught,  but 
abandoning  every  thing,  fled  pell-mell  for  the 
bridge  which  crossed  the  Neuse,  opposite  Kings- 
ton, which  was  not  far  distant.  The  retreat  of 
five  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  foe  was  cut  off, 
and  they  were  taken  prisoners.  The  Union 
artillery  came  rushing  up  along  the  road,  shell- 
ing the  fugitives  in  their  flight.  The  rebels,  in 
their  consternation,  had  no  chance  to  destroy 
the  bridge,  and  the  patriot  troops,  following 
closely  upon  their  heels,  crossed  the  river  and 
took  possession  of  Kingston.  The  brunt  of  this 
battle — and  it  was  truly  a  heroic  fight — was  met 
by  the  Forty -fifth  Massachusetts,  Tenth  Con- 
necticut, and  One  Hundred  and  Third  Penn- 
sylvania, essentially  aided  by  the  Ninety-sixth 
and  Ninety-second  New  York.  Five  Union  reg- 
iments drove  six  thousand  rebels  from  their  iu- 
trenchments. 

The  rebel  prisoners  stated  that  they  consid- 
ered their  position  quite  impregnable,  for  they 
had  not  supposed  it  possible  for  any  advance  to 
be  made  through  the  swamp.  They  had  con- 
sequently massed  their  forces  to  block  up  the 
passage  of  the  road.  The  first  intimation  they 
had  of  the  position  of  the  regiments  who  had 
dashed  through  the  swamp  was  from  the  storm 
of  bullets  which  swept  their  ranks.  There  was 
an  old  church  near  the  range  of  the  hostile  bat- 
teries which  was  thoroughly  riddled  with  shot. 
As  our  troops  occupied  the  ground  vacated  by 
their  foes  they  found  sixteen  dead  bodies  in  the 
church.  The  prisoners  confessed  that  they  car- 
ried off  as  many  dead  bodies  as  they  could,  and 
had  thrown  them  into  the  river  to  conceal  their 
loss. 

Most  of  the  prisoners  were  South  Carolinians. 
They  were  ferocious  in  their  hate,  declaring  that 
they  would  fight  forever.  They  said  they  had 
received  orders  from  General  Evans  that  morn- 
ing to  give  no  quarter.  They  had  not  enter- 
tained the  idea  that  they  could  be  beaten.  Many 
of  them  were  as  ignorant  as  savages,  having  not 
the  slightest  conception  of  the  cause  of  the  war. 
They  had  been  told  that  the  Northern  people 
had  invaded  the  South  from  the  brutal  desire 
to  rob  them  of  their  property  and  to  cut  their 
throats.      "What  for  you  uns,"  said  they,  in 


their  barbaric  dialect,  "  come  down  here  to  fight 
we  uns  ?  We  uns  don't  want  to  fight  you  uns." 
One  might  as  well  attempt  to  explain  one  of  the 
problems  of  Laplace  to  a  New  Zealand  savage 
as  to  give  one  of  these  ignorant,  debased,  South 
Carolinian  mean  whites  an  idea  of  the  questions 
involved  in  this  civil  war. 

The  North  Carolinians  generally  appeared 
much  less  morally  and  intellectually  degraded. 
Almost  to  a  man  they  expressed  regret  at  the 
existence  of  the  war,  and  said  they  had  no  heart 
in  it.  They  asserted  that  their  State  had  been 
carried  out  of  the  Union  by  the  vote  of  the  Leg- 
islature against  the  vote  and  sentiment  of  the 
people.  They  were  mostly  conscripts,  and  were 
quite  willing  to  be  taken  prisoners.  They  com  - 
plained  bitterly  of  the  harsh  treatment  they  had 
received  from  their  own  officers,  and  said  their 
only  food  had  consisted  of  Indian  corn  and  ba- 
con.  Unshorn,  uncombed,  and  unwashed,  they 
presented  an  appearance  of  filth  and  savagery 
which  scarcely  any  group  of  Digger  Indians  ever 
equaled.  Many  of  them  were  very  bitter  against 
Jeff  Davis,  and  told  terrible  tales  of  the  despot- 
ism which  reigned  in  secessiondom. 

Our  troops  found  that  the  rigor  of  rebel  con- 
scription had  stripped  the  country  of  every  man 
capable  of  bearing  arms.  Many  of  the  prison- 
ers said  that  they  had  been  dragged  away  from 
their  families  without  any  process  of  law,  and 
without  an  hour's  delay.  The  general  aspect 
of  the  region  through  which  the  army  passed 
testified  to  the  truth  of  these  statements.  Wide 
fields  remained  uncultivated,  and  in  not  a  few 
cases  ripened  crops  were  left  to  perish  unhar- 
vested.  Vast  barns  and  granaries  were  left  en- 
tirely empty.  On  the  most  extensive  planta- 
tions but  few  signs  of  life  were  visible.  A  few 
aged  negroes,  too  old  to  run  away  and  too  val- 
ueless to  be  removed,  were  loitering  about,  be- 
wildered by  the  sudden  and  inexplicable  change. 
Now  and  then  a  few  women  were  found  who 
had  been  left  behind.  They  did  not  exhibit 
the  ferocity  which  had  been  generally  displayed 
by  female  rebels  ;  they  were  generally  anxious 
for  the  war  to  end  on  any  terms,  asserting  that 
they  were  living  under  a  reign  of  terror,  and 
that  they  had  more  to  fear  from  the  rebel  than 
from  the  Union  troops. 

The  retreating  rebels  had  stripped  the  houses 
of  most  of  their  movable  furniture  and  of  all 
eatables.  In  the  little  dilapidated  city  of  Kings- 
ton desolation  and  starvation  reigned.  The  wo- 
men and  children  who  alone  remained  all  look- 
ed care-worn  and  hungry.  Many  of  the  poorer 
class  came  rambling  through  the  Union  camp, 
begging  bread  of  the  soldiers,  and  eagerly  pick- 
ing up  the  fragments  which  our  surfeited  troops 
had  thrown  away.  The  women,  accustomed 
only  to  the  brutal  aspect  and  bearing  of  the 
Southern  soldiers,  expressed  much  surprise  at 
the  gentlemanly  appearance  and  demeanor  of 
the  Northern  troops.  But  three  white  men 
were  found  left  in  Kingston,  and  they  were 
Union  men  who  had  hidden  themselves  from 
rebel  rule.     All  the  rest  had  been  carried  off, 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 


17 


either  voluntarily  or  involuntarily,  by  the  reb- 
els. 

The  battle  of  Kingston  was  fought  on  Sun- 
day. These  were  strange  scenes  for  our  Puri- 
tan boys,  who  had  been  trained  in  the  Sabbath- 
schools  and  churches  of  the  North.  The  vic- 
torious Union  troops  passed  over  the  bridge  into 
Kingston,  and  encamped  in  a  large  field  on  the 
north  side  of  the  village,  built  their  fires,  boiled 
their  coffee,  and  sat  down  to  review  the  labors 
of  the  day.  The  Massachusetts  Forty-fifth  lost 
18  killed,  and  had  50  wounded.  Large  num- 
bers had  bullet-holes  through  their  hats  and 
part  of  their  clothing.  The  Tenth  Connecticut 
met  with  a  still  more  severe  loss,  as  did  also  the 
One  Hundred  and  Third  Pennsylvania  and  the 
Ninety-sixth  New  York.  The  rebels  lost,  in 
addition  to  the  prisoners  we  have  mentioned, 
eleven  pieces  of  artillery,  a  large  quantity  of 
small-arms  and  ammunrtion,  and  an  immense 
depot  of  provisions,  which  they  set  on  fire  to 
prevent  it  from  falling  into  the  Union  hands. 
The  battle  in  the  swamp  lasted  four  hours.  A 
young  soldier  of  the  Massachusetts  Forty-fifth, 
who  had  never  before  been  under  fire,  thus 
graphically  describes  his  sensations  in  a  letter 
to  his  friends : 

"When  we  first  filed  into  the  woods  I  would 
have  given  all  I  was  worth  to  have  been  once 
more  safely  at  home.  But  after  the  first  shot 
was  fired  I  could  not  restrain  myself.  I  had 
no  thought  of  any  personal  danger.  The  balls 
would  whistle  and  hum  all  over  our  heads,  and 
every  now  and  then  a  shell  would  explode  and 
cover  us  with  mud,  and  too  often  with  blood. 
But  it  seemed  to  me  as  though  something  told 
me  not  to  fear.  I  said  one  little  short  prayer 
for  myself,  thought  of  each  one  of  you,  imag- 
ined I  heard  the  sweet  church  bells  of  Framing- 
ham,  and  shut  my  eyes  for  an  instant  and  saw 
you  all.  It  could  have  been  but  an  instant, 
and  then  I  thought  of  nothing  but  pushing  the 
rebels  out  of  the  swamp.  As  we  drove  the 
rebels  before  us  I  can  not  describe  the  exulta- 
tion we  felt  that  we  had  helped  win  a  victory 
for  the  Stars  and  the  Stripes.  But  the  sad 
times  were  at  night,  when  we  missed  from  the 
camp-fires  the  faces  of  those  whom  we  had 
learned  to  love,  or  when  we  went  back  to  the 
woods  to  bury  the  dead  or  to  save  the  wound- 
ed." 

Among  the  many  who  fell  at  the  battle  of 
Kingston  meriting  especial  honor  we  have  space 
to  mention  but  one — Lieutenant  William  Per- 
kins. His  case  illustrates  that  of  many  others 
of  our  noblest  young  men  who  left  all  the  en- 
dearments of  home  to  peril  life  in  defense  of 
our  country.  This  young  man  was  the  second 
one  from  his  native  town,  New  London,  Con- 
necticut, to  volunteer.  His  older  brother  was 
the  first.  With  honor  he  passed  through  the 
disaster  at  Bull  Run.  At  Roanoke  Island  he 
was  the  second  man  to  jump  upon  the  shore. 
Captain  Leggett,  of  Company  H,  Tenth  Regi- 
ment Connecticut  Volunteers,  to  which  com- 
pany young  Perkins  belonged,  was  the  first. 
Vol.  XXX.— No.  175.— B 


In  the  heroic  and  brilliant  battle  at  Roanoke 
the  company  lost  23  out  of  56  men.  Young 
Perkins,  for  his  chivalric  bravery,  was  soon  pro- 
moted to  the  First  Lieutenancy  in  Company  A, 
Tenth  Connecticut  Volunteers.  At  the  battle 
of  Kingston  all  the  enthusiasm  of  his  soul  was 
called  into  requisition.  While  his  regiment  was 
in  full  pursuit  of  the  rebels,  retreating  by  the 
bridge  across  the  Neuse,  Lieutenant  Perkins 
pressing  eagerly  on,  reckless  of  all  danger,  had 
just  exclaimed  to  a  comrade,  "  Isn't  this  glo- 
rious?" when  he  was  struck  by  a  Minie'  ball 
and  fell  dead.  The  chaplain  of  the  regiment, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Stone,  of  Boston,  in  a  letter  to  his 
bereaved  father,  wrote : 

"Your  son  was  a  universal  favorite  in  the  regiment. 
We  all  loved  him  for  his  manly  qualities,  his  generous 
heart,  his  kindness  of  manner,  and  his  winning  ways. 
We  were  proud  of  his  soldierly  bearing  and  of  his  cour- 
ageous deportment." 

His  letters  to  his  friends  showed  the  consci- 
entiousness with  which  he  had  entered  upon 
this  strife  for  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  his 
deep  sense  of  dependence  upon  God.  Such 
were  the  victims  who,  by  hundreds  and  by  thou- 
sands, were  immolated  by  the  demon  of  slavery 
upon  her  blood-stained  altars.  Earth  may  be 
searched  in  vain  for  a  crime  more  enormous 
than  that  which  plunged  our  once  peaceful  and 
happy  land  into  all  the  horrors  of  civil  war  to 
perpetuate  and  extend  the  outrage  of  human 
bondage. 

Early  the  next  morning — Monday  the  15th — 
the  army  recommenced  its  march.  Filing  rap- 
idly again  back  across  the  bridge  they  pressed 
along  a  road  which  skirted  the  southern  banks 
of  the  Neuse,  toward  Whitehall,  which  was  di- 
rectly west  upon  the  river,  at  the  distance  of 
about  20  miles.  It  required  nearly  five  hours — 
from  daylight  until  11  o'clock — for  the  whole 
army  to  defile  across  the  narrow  bridge.  They 
then,  to  prevent  pursuit  and  the  harassment  of 
their  rear,  smeared  the  bridge  over  with  tar  and 
set  it  on  fire.  The  structure,  of  wood,  20  rods 
long  and  40  feet  above  the  water,  was  speedily 
enveloped  in  rushing  billows  of  flame,  and  dis- 
appeared in  smoke  and  ashes.  Such  a  long 
line  of  troops,  with  its  ponderous  artillery  and 
heavily-laden  wagons,  necessarily  moves  slow. 
But  by  vigorously  pushing  forward  they  traveled 
seventeen  miles  that  day,  and  again  bivouacked 
by  the  road-side,  about  three  miles  from  White- 
hall. The  weary  soldiers  did  not  need  beds  of 
down  to  enable  them  to  sleep  soundly  that  night. 

Tuesday,  16th,  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning 
the  troops  were  again  upon  the  march.  They 
had  been  in  motion  scarcely  an  hour  when  the 
roar  of  battle  was  again  heard  at  the  head  of  the 
column.  The  cavalry  and  one  battery  were  in 
the  advance.  As  they  were  approaching  the 
little  village  of  Whitehall,  which  is  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  stream,  they  found  that  the  enemy 
had  stationed  themselves  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  having  destroyed  the  bridge,  and 
were  strongly  posted,  with  ten  guns  in  battery 
on  the  opposite  bank.     The  guns  were  protect- 


18 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


ed  by  long  lines  of  rifle-pits.  A  brief  but  spir- 
ited conflict  here  ensued.  As  soon  as  our  ad- 
vance-guard appeared  in  sight  the  rebels  opened 
upon  them  from  their  batteries  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river.  When  the  Forty-fifth  Massa- 
chusetts, which  in  that  day's  march  led  the  main 
body  of  the  army,  came  within  reach  of  the  reb- 
el fire,  six  batteries,  containing  36  guns,  were 
immediately  brought  into' position,  and  opened 
a  deadly  fire  upon  the  guns  of  the  rebels,  10  in 
number,  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
These  guns,  on  both  sides,  were  loaded  and  fired 
with  such  rapidity  that  it  is  said  that  there 
were,  in  all,  more  than  a  hundred  discharges 
each  minute.     It  is  seldom,  in  battle,  that  so 


large  a  number  of  guns  are  so  closely  concen- 
trated. 

The  field  of  action  was  mostly  a  level  plain, 
with  a  few  slight  undulations.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  place  the  Union  infantry  in  positions  to 
protect  their  batteries  from  sudden  charges  by 
the  foe.  The  Massachusetts  Forty-fifth  found 
itself  stationed  exactly  in  the  range  between  one 
of  our  batteries  and  the  guns  of  the  rebels.  The 
balls  and  shells  from  both  parties  went  directly 
over  their  heads,  so  near  that  were  the  men  to 
stand  erect  every  head  would  soon  be  swept 
away.  As  they  lay  flat  upon  the  ground  they 
could  feel  the  motion  of  every  ball,  and  the 
windage  would  often  take  away  their  breath. 


A  MILITARY  ADVENTURE. 


19 


Occasionally  a  shell  would  explode  near  them, 
covering  them  with  dirt.  It  was  a  very  awk- 
ward position  to  occupy,  and  General  Foster 
soon  changed  it.  To  attain  a  new  position  there 
was  a  Virginia  rail  fence  to  be  crossed.  As  one 
of  the  men  put  his  hand  on  a  top  rail  to  spring 
over  a  shell  struck  the  rail  from  beneath  him, 
plunged  him  headlong  but  unharmed  into  a 
ditch,  and  knocked  down  and  severely  wounded 
with  a  splinter  another  man.  Almost  at  the 
same  moment  another  shell  fell  and  exploded 
in  their  ranks,  wounding  four  men.  In  the 
midst  of  such  a  fire  as  this,  strange  to  say,  many 
of  the  Forty-fifth  Massachusetts  fell  soundly 
asleep.  They  were  so  utterly  exhausted  by  the 
march  of  two  days,  the  battle  in  the  swamp,  and 
the  sleeplessness  of  the  intervening  night  in 
standing  guard,  that  even  the  deafening  roar  of 
battle  and  the  greatest  peril  of  wounds  and  death 
could  not  keep  them  awake. 

The  conflict  at  Whitehall  lasted  about  an 
hour  and  a  half,  one  brigade  only  of  the  Union 
troops  being  called  into  action.  It  was  found 
on  almost  all  occasions  that  our  artillery  prac- 
tice was  far  superior  to  that  of  the  rebels.  Not 
unfrequently  the  Union  batteries  would  take 
position  in  an  open  field  and  silence  a  rebel  bat- 
tery carefully  intrenched,  of  the  same  number 
of  guns.  While  this  artillery  battle  was  raging 
the  main  body  of  the  army  moved  rapidly  along 
the  road,  at  a  little  distance  from  the  river,  to 
gain  the  stream  at  a  point  which  the  rebel  guns 
did  not  command.  While  thus  moving  a  shell 
fell  into  the  ranks  of  the  Forty-fourth  Massa- 
chusetts, instantly  killing  four  men.  The  pa- 
triot batteries  at  length  silenced  the  rebel  can- 
non, and  our  troops,  advancing  to  the  river,  de- 
stroyed two  gun-boats  which  the  rebels  were 
building  there.  The  village  of  Whitehall,  which 
stood  between  the  hostile  batteries,  was  literally 
knocked  to  pieces.  The  dense  woods  which 
fringed  the  opposite  bank  of  the  stream  were 
mown  down  by  our  deadly  fire  as  the  scythe 
mows  the  grass.  For  a  quarter  of  a  mile  back 
from  the  river,  and  for  half  a  mile  up  and  down 
the  banks,  scarcely  a  tree  was  left  standing. 

One  principal  object  in  visiting  Whitehall  was 
to  destroy  the  two  gun-boats  of  which  we  have 
spoken  as  being  there  upon  the  stocks.  As  the 
enemy  were  in  force  upon  the  opposite  bank  our 
troops  could  not  in  a  body  cross.  It  was  now 
night.  The  boats  must  be  destroyed,  and  the 
army  must  be  speedily  again  on  its  way  to  ac- 
complish an  enterprise  still  more  important. 
Two  thousand  barrels  of  turpentine  were  seized, 
piled  in  an  immense  heap  on  the  river's  bank, 
and  set  on  fire.  Such  a  bonfire  mortal  eyes 
have  seldom  seen.  Vast  sheets  of  billowy  flame 
Hashed  their  forked  tongues  to  the  clouds.  The 
whole  region  for  miles  around  was  lighted  up. 
Every  movement  of  the  enemy  was  revealed, 
and  their  positions  were  mercilessly  shelled. 
Still  there  were  no  means  of  reaching  the  boats 
but  to  call  for  volunteers  to  swim  the  stream 
and  apply  the  torch.  A  private  named  Butler 
came  forward,  plunged  into  the  wintry  wave, 


and  pushed  boldly  for  the  opposite  shore.  Ev- 
ery gun  was  brought  into  action  throwing  grape 
and  canister  to  distract  the  foe. 

Butler  ran  tip  the  bank  to  the  flaming  bridge, 
seized  a  brand,  and  was  making  for  the  boats, 
when  several  rebels  rushed  from  their  sheltered 
hiding-places  and  endeavored  to  seize  him. 
Quick  as  thought  he  turned,  plunged  again 
into  the  river,  and  through  a  shower  of  bullets 
returned  safely  to  his  comrades.  The  batteries 
were  then  brought  to  bear  upon  the  boats,  and 
with  solid  shot  and  shell  they  were  nearly  de- 
molished, though  the  flames,  could  the  torch 
have  been  applied,  would  more  effectually  have 
done  the  work. 

The  shell  is  a  terrible  and  remorseless  engine 
of  destruction.  Nothing  can  be  imagined  more 
demoniac  than  the  yell  with  which  they  swoop 
through  the  air.  It  is  heard  the  moment  the 
shell  leaves  the  gun,  and  with  the  larger  size, 
now  often  used,  is  so  shrill  and  piercing  that 
even  if  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  it  seems  di- 
rectly upon  you.  Many  of  these  massive  bolts 
are  hurled  with  such  velocity  that  if  they  pass 
within  ten  feet  of  one's  head  they  produce  a 
vacuum  which  takes  away  the  breath  ;  and  as  it 
whirs  by  the  scream  grows  fainter  and  fainter 
till  it  expires  in  a  thundering  explosion.  The 
noise  which  these  shells  make  is  indescribable. 
There  is  nothing  with  which  to  compare  it.  It 
can  only  be  imagined  by  those  by  whom  it  has 
been  heard. 

Having  dispersed  the  rebels  at  Whitehall,  our 
victorious  little  army,  under  their  vigorous  leader 
General  Foster,  without  crossing  the  river,  and 
with  scarcely  an  hour's  delay,  pressed  forward 
toward  the  west,  still  ascending  the  banks  of  the 
Neuse.  Night  overtook  them  twelve  miles  be- 
yond Whitehall.  Here  they  found  their  sixth 
encampment.  Scarcely  had  the  dawn  of  Wednes- 
day morning  the  17th  appeared  ere  the  troops 
were  again  in  motion.  A  party  of  cavalry  had 
been  sent  in  advance  by  a  cross  road  on  Monday 
to  a  place  called  Mount  Olive,  twenty  miles 
south  of  Goldsborough,  to  destroy  as  much  as 
possible  of  the  railroad  there  and  a  long  trestle 
railroad  bridge.  This  enterprise  the  intrepid 
cavalry  had  successfully  accomplished.  They 
now  returned  to  the  main  body,  having  ridden 
seventy  miles  in  twenty-four  hours. 

The  great  object  of  this  whole  military  expe- 
dition was  to  destroy  the  railroad  running  south 
from  Goldsborough,  which  was  the  principal  line 
of  northern  communication  for  the  rebels.  Like 
most  villages  in  a  slave-holding  country  Golds- 
borough is  an  insignificant  hamlet,  not  import- 
ant enough  even  to  be  noticed  in  a  general 
gazetteer.  It  is  but  little  more  than  a  railroad 
station,  where  the  Wilmington  and  Weldon  road 
crosses  the  Atlantic  and  North  Carolina  track. 
There  was  a  costly  high-bridge  an  eighth  of  a  mile 
long,  which  here  crossed  the  river,  which  had  been 
a  long  time  in  process  of  construction.  It  was  an 
important  object  of  the  expedition  to  destroy  this 
bridge.  The  rebels,  fully  appreciating  its  import- 
ance, made  a  vigorous  stand  for  its  defense.    But 


20 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


General  Foster  on  this  expedition  as  much  out- 
generaled the  rebel  officers  in  strategy  and  tac- 
tics as  his  soldiers  out-fought  the  rebel  rank  and 
file  in  the  open  field.  At  11  o'clock,  Wednes- 
day morning,  our  soldiers  were  within  five  miles 
of  the  bridge.  The  rebels  were  found  there  in 
force,  and  the  battle  was  renewed.  A  few  miles 
below  the  railroad  viaduct  there  was  a  small 
stream  called  Sleepy  Creek,  where  there  was  a 
common  road  bridge  across  the  Neuse.  A  por- 
tion of  the  army  was  sent  down  to  this  bridge  to 
make  a  feint,  with  as  much  noise  as  possible,  of 
crossing  at  that  point. 

The  rebels,  deceived  by  the  supposition  that  it 
was  our  main  object  to  seize  the  railroad  June-, 
tion  at  Goldsborough,  had  assembled  a  large 
force  at  this  bridge,  superior  to  our  own,  to  guard 
the  passage.  General  Foster  adroitly  compelled 
them  to  divide  their  force  between  this  upper 
and  lower  point,  and  kept  the  river  between  him 
and  the  foe  to  prevent  being  overwhelmed  by 
any  sudden  assault.  To  prevent  the  Union 
troops  from  crossing  the  river  the  rebels  made 
their  first  stand  at  Kingston.  Here,  as  we  have 
mentioned,  the  rebels  drove  them  back  and  de- 
stroyed the  bridge.  They  next  made  a  stand 
at  Whitehall,  destroying  the  bridge  themselves. 
Here  the  patriots  silenced  their  batteries  and  de- 
stroyed two  of  their  gun-boats.  The  rebels  then 
drew  back  their  forces  to  the  vicinity  of  Golds- 
borough,  and  established  themselves  at  the  two 
bridges  of  which  we  have  spoken,  five  miles  apart. 
While  a  part  of  our  troops  followed  down  Sleepy 
Creek  to  the  bridge  the  main  body  moved  on  to 
the  railroad  bridge,  the  object  of  the  expedition. 

General  Foster  had  no  wish  to  cross  either  of 
these  bridges.  He  was  well  aware  that  there 
was  a  sufficient  force  of  rebels  on  the  other  side, 
gathered  from  Wilmington,  Weldon,  Raleigh, 
and  even  Virginia,  to  overwhelm  the  force  at 
his  disposal.  The  assault  commenced  at  both 
bridges  at  the  same  time.  From  11  o'clock  in 
the  morning  until  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
there  was  the  continuous  roar  of  battle.  The 
rebels  had  taken  position  on  the  south  side  of 
the  railroad  bridge.  They  were,  however,  soon 
driven  in  confusion  from  their  position  and 
across  the  bridge,  and  the  bridge  was  utterly  de- 
stroyed. The  flames  consumed  its  frame,"  and 
its  buttresses  were  demolished  bv  shot  and  shell. 


The  great  object  of  the  expedition  having  been 
thus  effectually  accomplished,  the  army  imme- 
diately commenced  its  return.  The  rebels  now 
began  to  comprehend  the  true  posture  of  affairs. 
They  had  assembled  in  such  force  as  vastly 
to  outnumber  the  patriots.  But  there  was  a 
wide  and  rapid  river,  with  all  the  bridges  de- 
stroyed, flowing  between  them.  In  this  emerg- 
ence the  rebels  went  back,  ascending  the  river 
about  five  miles,  and  crossed  in  the  vicinity  of 
Waynesborough.  Then  marching  down  the 
southern  bank  of  the  stream,  they  vigorously 
set  out  in  pursuit  of  our  leisurely  retiring  col- 
umns. They  overtook  the  patriot  rear-guard  in 
the  vicinity  of  Sleepy  Creek.  As  the  rebels 
came  on  in  solid  mass  the  patriot  batteries,  in 
good  position,  remained  quiet  until  they  were 
within  three  hundred  yards,  and  then,  with 
double-shotted  guns,  they  poured  in  so  tremen- 
dous a  Arolley  that  no  mortal  strength  or  valor 
could  breast  it.  Three  times  the  rebel  ranks 
were  broken  by  the  awful  carnage,  and  three 
times  they  rallied  anew  to  the  onset.  Finally 
they  broke  beyond  recovery,  and  fled  in  wildest 
confusion  back  among  the  forests  and  the  hills. 
Some  prisoners  who  were  taken  said  that  they 
lost  in  this  terrific  storm  of  war,  which  lasted 
but  a  few  moments,  eight  hundred  men.  It  was 
a  very  bold  attempt  of  infantry  to  storm  batteries 
up  to  the  muzzles  of  their  guns. 

The  patriots  now  retired  unmolested,  and  en- 
camped Wednesday  night  on  the  same  spot  where 
they  had  encamped  the  night  before.  The  next 
morning,  at  4  o'clock,  they  were  again  upon  the 
march,  and  thus  they  tramped  along,  singing 
songs  of  victonr,  until  6  o'clock  Satui-day  night, 
when  they  encamped  about  six  miles  from  New- 
bern.  The  Sabbath  morning  sun  rose  cloud- 
less over  the  North  Carolina  pines.  The  day 
was  mild  and  beautiful,  as  though  nature  had  no 
voice  or  feature  in  harmony  with  the  discord  of 
war.  The  patriot  troops  resumed  their  march 
with  waving  banners  and  pealing  bugles,  and 
thus  rejoicingly  re-entered  the  camp  from  which 
they  had  marched  but  ten  days  before.  They 
marched  into  their  encampment  to  the  dear  old 
tune  of  "Home,  Sweet  Home."  The  distance 
these  iron  men  had  traveled,  over  often  the  worst 
of  roads,  and  through  a  series  of  battles,  was 
about  two  hundred  miles. 


BATTLE  OF  KINGSTON. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00032742961 


FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


